Slippery Elm
Ulmus fulva

Slippery Elm is a plant native to North America, particularly in areas covered by ravines and valleys where there is an abundance of water such as Alabama and Mississippi. The tree itself can grow up to 20metres in height and the wood beneath the bark is a characteristic red colour.

The first people to use this plant medicinally were the Native Americans who discovered that, when the inner bark is mixed with water, it generated a thick and slippery gruel full of mucilage. Hence the ‘slippery’. Interestingly, Slippery Elm was also used in Native American traditions to preserve meat, where the plant was wrapped around it forming a natural bandage protecting it from the elements.

Like many popular plants its become threatened in its natural habitat and is noted by United Planet savers in the US as a plant that needs to be harvested with sustainability practices in mind. Our organic Slippery Elm is a mainstay in Daily Fibre Plus.